ComicBook Timeline
Ancient World: ·Stories of Greek heroes like Hercules and Jason were told in B.C. time ·Same with Japanese mythology as well as around the world ·In the middle ages the noble knights and Robin Hood were considered heroes Pre-Superheroes:
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·There were action heroes in comics but they lacked the powers of Superheroes ·Some of these were Zorro, The Green Hornet, The Phantom, and Doc Savage ·This was the time where comics were told in weekly newspaper strips Golden Age 1938-1950 ·1938 action comics #1 first appearance of Superman and the first superhero comic book ·Big hit ·1939 Detective comic #27 first appearance of Batman ·These two sparked the birth of superhero comics ·At first most heroes were copies of Superman and where sued ·The Flash in 1940 was one of the first superheroes that had a single power ·1940 Whiz comics #2 first appearance of Captain Marvel the magic Superman and out sold him ·WW2 superheroes were used in wartime propaganda the most famous are Captain America and Wonder Woman (also the first female superhero) ·1940 first appearance of Robin the first superhero sidekick after which almost all the heroes got sidekicks ·After WW2 there was a decline in comic book popularity ·Most characters lost their books Captain America was Marvel’s (then Timely’s) last title ·Only Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman kept their books. Interregnum 1945-1956 ·Superhero genre on hiatus, (Horror, crime, and funny animal comics took over) ·Comic code-enacted in 1954 this code was enacted to scan comic books for unsuitable content for children and forbid them.This hurt many comic book publishing companies as the removal of adult content also removed the adult readers.While this hurt many superhero comics it specically hurt the horror and crime dramas as they were made for adults. Silver Age 1956-late 1970’s ·Superheroes made a comeback ·There was a split in the comic communities, one side was the old school superheroes that used logic and creativity with there powers to win the day and new aged characters that fought super villains as much as their own inner demons. ·This age was known for its crazy science ideas that could not possibly exist in real life ·Timely comics became Marvel in the 1960’s and became DC’s biggest rival ·Science based characters like the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, the X-men, Spiderman, and Iron Man were created ·Heroes like Captain America were brought back with new stories ·Instead of fighting Nazi’s heroes fought communism as propaganda ·1962 Stan Lee made the first superhero family the Fantastic Four Bronze Age early 1970’s- mid 1980’s
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·First age to try and introduce realism as well as adult themes in comics ·Religious tones were also introduce, they were seen as taboo before ·More ethnic superheroes were created oMost were very stereotypical at first but then the writers made characters like Storm from the X-men, Cyborg of the Teen Titans, and John Steward the Green Lantern, as characters that were normal heroes with a different skin color ·Female superheroes were created as well and also given more respect oThe ‘girl’ titles were dropped and were given the proper title of woman like the Invisible Woman who was now seen as one of the strongest on the Fantastic 4 ·Politics also played a real role in the character development ·The comic codes began to loosen ·Sexuality was used to sell comics as well with characters like Red Sonja and Conan the Barbarian ·In 1973 Spiderman’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy died signaling the fall into a darker tone of media ·Drugs were also included into books, Spiderman showed the consequences of drug abuse and Green Arrow’s sidekick Speedy was revealed to be addicted to heroin Dark Age 1986-1990’s
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·Very adult comics came into being i.e. the Watchmen and the Dark Knight Returns ·1992- Image Comics came into being.An independent comic company separate from DC or Marvel ·Companies like Dark Horse followed the trend ·New characters got their own series outside the giant canon universes of Marvel and DC, like Hellboy, Spawn, and Savage Dragon ·This also started the big series crossovers in the main universes like DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths which rewrote the DC universe ·This age fully recognized topics of sex and drugs in an everyday setting instead of just a special issue Modern Age 1986- the present
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·Started after Crisis on Infinite Earths ·Showed the modern darkness of life with the death of Robin 2 and Superman ·Started Ultimate Marvel and All Star DC companies that retold the classic stories in a new way ·Big crossover/continuity wide events like the Infinite Crisis and Marvel Civil War
Ancient World:
· Stories of Greek heroes like Hercules and Jason were told in B.C. time
· Same with Japanese mythology as well as around the world
· In the middle ages the noble knights and Robin Hood were considered heroes
Pre-Superheroes:
· There were action heroes in comics but they lacked the powers of Superheroes
· Some of these were Zorro, The Green Hornet, The Phantom, and Doc Savage
· This was the time where comics were told in weekly newspaper strips
Golden Age 1938-1950
· 1938 action comics #1 first appearance of Superman and the first superhero comic book
· Big hit
· 1939 Detective comic #27 first appearance of Batman
· These two sparked the birth of superhero comics
· At first most heroes were copies of Superman and where sued
· The Flash in 1940 was one of the first superheroes that had a single power
· 1940 Whiz comics #2 first appearance of Captain Marvel the magic Superman and out sold him
· WW2 superheroes were used in wartime propaganda the most famous are Captain America and Wonder Woman (also the first female superhero)
· 1940 first appearance of Robin the first superhero sidekick after which almost all the heroes got sidekicks
· After WW2 there was a decline in comic book popularity
· Most characters lost their books Captain America was Marvel’s (then Timely’s) last title
· Only Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman kept their books.
Interregnum 1945-1956
· Superhero genre on hiatus, (Horror, crime, and funny animal comics took over)
· Comic code- enacted in 1954 this code was enacted to scan comic books for unsuitable content for children and forbid them. This hurt many comic book publishing companies as the removal of adult content also removed the adult readers. While this hurt many superhero comics it specically hurt the horror and crime dramas as they were made for adults.
Silver Age 1956-late 1970’s
· Superheroes made a comeback
· There was a split in the comic communities, one side was the old school superheroes that used logic and creativity with there powers to win the day and new aged characters that fought super villains as much as their own inner demons.
· This age was known for its crazy science ideas that could not possibly exist in real life
· Timely comics became Marvel in the 1960’s and became DC’s biggest rival
· Science based characters like the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, the X-men, Spiderman, and Iron Man were created
· Heroes like Captain America were brought back with new stories
· Instead of fighting Nazi’s heroes fought communism as propaganda
· 1962 Stan Lee made the first superhero family the Fantastic Four
Bronze Age early 1970’s- mid 1980’s
· First age to try and introduce realism as well as adult themes in comics
· Religious tones were also introduce, they were seen as taboo before
· More ethnic superheroes were created
o Most were very stereotypical at first but then the writers made characters like Storm from the X-men, Cyborg of the Teen Titans, and John Steward the Green Lantern, as characters that were normal heroes with a different skin color
· Female superheroes were created as well and also given more respect
o The ‘girl’ titles were dropped and were given the proper title of woman like the Invisible Woman who was now seen as one of the strongest on the Fantastic 4
· Politics also played a real role in the character development
· The comic codes began to loosen
· Sexuality was used to sell comics as well with characters like Red Sonja and Conan the Barbarian
· In 1973 Spiderman’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy died signaling the fall into a darker tone of media
· Drugs were also included into books, Spiderman showed the consequences of drug abuse and Green Arrow’s sidekick Speedy was revealed to be addicted to heroin
Dark Age 1986-1990’s
· Very adult comics came into being i.e. the Watchmen and the Dark Knight Returns
· 1992- Image Comics came into being. An independent comic company separate from DC or Marvel
· Companies like Dark Horse followed the trend
· New characters got their own series outside the giant canon universes of Marvel and DC, like Hellboy, Spawn, and Savage Dragon
· This also started the big series crossovers in the main universes like DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths which rewrote the DC universe
· This age fully recognized topics of sex and drugs in an everyday setting instead of just a special issue
Modern Age 1986- the present
· Started after Crisis on Infinite Earths
· Showed the modern darkness of life with the death of Robin 2 and Superman
· Started Ultimate Marvel and All Star DC companies that retold the classic stories in a new way
· Big crossover/continuity wide events like the Infinite Crisis and Marvel Civil War